Termine

Abstract:
Philosophers have uncovered apparently conflicting patterns of
intuitions about personal identity (e.g., Williams and Sider). In some
cases, it seems that personal identity depends on the continuity of
psychological properties; in other cases, it seems that personal
identity is preserved despite a radical discontinuity in psychological
properties. Survey studies have shown a similar split in how ordinary
people think about the self (Nichols & Bruno). This talk will report a
series of new studies that manipulated how people think about the
stability of their traits (a la Bartels & Urminsky). This manipulation
affects economic decisions and allotment of punishment, but not other
future concerns. These results will be interpreted as following from two
different senses of self. The proposal that there are two senses of self
is bolstered by research on amnesia patients (Klein; Klein & Nichols).